I wish I'd known - doing better for our dogs.

“I wish I’d known,” many people wish that they’d known better with regards to their dog. As we evolve as k9 guardians; there are many things that you learn through the years. As much as may wish that you’d have known better, you didn’t. That is the fact, you just didn’t know. So, beating yourself up for things that you didn’t know is basically useless and counter productive.

But, from the moment you feel that you wish you’d known; you should get to finding out more. The most common regret that I have heard over the years from my clients is that they used harsh training methods. “I had no idea you didn’t have to do this,” they would tell me. “I wish I’d met you sooner Sherri.” And that is when I tell them to “stop beating yourself up.” Because you can’t do better until you know better.

"Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better," is a famous quote by Dr. Maya Angelou.

Once you know better you can do better if you choose. This is where choice plays in with how you treat your dog. Every single thing we do in life is a choice. But we make choices with the knowledge that we have in that moment. Once you have the information; you can make a clear and concise decision as to how you are going to move forward in that moment. Are you going to stand strong in what you’ve learned in the past, the old ways? Or are you going to do better, pushing the “old ways” aside and evolve. This is a huge question with many different answers. It truly is all up to you and how dedicated you are to learn more and do better.

Everyone is different. I know that there are lots of people out there that can’t change; it is uncomfortable for them do so. It can also be self shaming to admit that you were doing your dogs an injustice. We humans are complicated creatures and admitting that you were wrong can be enough to keep you stuck in the old ways.

The old ways is how I was taught. We are talking 50 years ago when positive reinforcement really was not known about. It wasn’t until the late 80s, early 90s that it became mainstream. And honestly once I learned about positive reinforcement work with dogs, I never looked back. I am an will always hate the training method that I first learned; but because of it I am insanely passionate about how I do things now.

Once that positive door was open; I stepped through and slammed the door behind me. That said, my past made me who I am today. And I will advocate for our dogs to the best of my ability. I will always share my knowledge in hopes that people will choose positive over negative. When you choose positive reinforcement to educate your dog; it very quickly grows to encompass every aspect of your k9 life.

If you’ve recently come over to the positive side, welcome. If you are thinking about it and aren’t quite sure yet, follow along. Choosing to learn and do better is never, ever a bad decision.